[Android Head-Units] sciallo:
I have been going back through the whole monster of this thread with a comb, taking notes, to get it summed up as best as I can on the wiki page. Getting there, I'm at page 133... So far just noting number of thread on each subject and making a spreadsheet, just so I can then go back and re-read them toghether on each subject and make informed statements. In the process I'm following links to external blogs, forums and sites... Lots of good stuff. Funny someone started saying we needed to split into different threads way early on, when it was just about the "OUKU" but still was getting to mixed with install, wiring issues, hardware, hacking... Welcome to the newest device, the "Pure 4.1"... As we continue to discuss them all in a single monster thread, PLEASE, State in the very top of your post what one you are talking about (unless it'a a generic post that applies to all), it does get confusing... So far we have "OUKU", "eEkore", S150/i802" and now "Pure 4.1"

Please, let's clarify once and for all, every unit discussed here is pure android, meaning there is no winCE in the mix. Although all of them run along side of a firmware driven hardware suite NOT on top of it like the winCE units with android 4 running on top "virtualized" or whatever you wanna call it. (Generally speaking you can recognize those by a icon in windowsCE to launch android).

As it was just said one of the biggest differences between sticking a tablet hooked up to amps on the dash and these units is the fact that there is balance/father etc. control from the unit. (of course I'm simplifing, they took it further by having rear cam, DVD radio, bluetooth(phone), ipod control etc.) but I was looking to do just that, stick a tablet in my car hooked up to amps, or a simple deck until I found this that is.

To try to explain it in simple words... there is two main pieces of hardware/boards in there.

One is comparable to your cheap run of the mill home DVD player, just a step above your grandma's CRT tv, with it's own FIRMWARE that controls it's own functions, just like the "menu" in grandma's TV. Ok, I know I'm exagerating, it is a little better than that, but it is by no mean an operating system. It controls all the "Car deck specific hardware", that is:

- radio

- I-crap player

- blotooth phone

- dvd player (wich just like your home dvd player can also play other things...)

- Back up camera

and last but not least THE AMPS

You can buy decks that look just like ours with just the above + a simple GPS like one you would buy separate for as much as you would have paid for a GPS unit alone a few years ago.

Now, our decks have another board that hosts android, kind of like your tv stick... video output can switch from DVD to rearview camera, to android "stick". some of the hardware has "hooks" for android to talk to it, some has it's own controls and best of all we get to adjust volume on all channels. What still isn't clear to me is whether any of the user interfaces are simply firmware based and not android apps, I'm guessing if you still see the notification bar you're using an app...

Something else we haven't been able to figure out with any of them yet is what part the bootloader plays in all this, where is the recovery and could we ever get a CWM recovery or similar on there? Of course the fact that there is no host ports readly available for ADB doesn't help...

On a separate note,

In my research I have run into some other sites and efforts I will need to follow, namely, there is one more rooted ROM for theOUKU I ran into. It seems to adress a few more of the common issues and sounds like it would cut steps to get my unit ready a bit...

See the changelog in this post:

www(dot)ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1107961#post1107961

I havent gone through the whole thread there yet so I don't know if there is newer versions... Anyone tried that one?